Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-08-18

spring.
Tic nest is always made on sloping
bank. and one side is higher than the
other. the hinge being invariably
placed on the highest side. Thespider
knows well that when placed in this
way the door will fall and close itself
when pushed from the outside, and 50
nicely does it fit in the little groove
made for it that the most careful OBJ
server can scarcely discover where the
joint is. Should the door be removed,
another one will soon be put in its
place. These spiders hunt their prey
by night and devour them in the nest
A pair of spiders. with twenty or thir-
ty young ones, often live in one of these
nests.
One Of the largest nests to be met
with in this country is that of the laby-
linthic spider, whose web every one
has seen spread out like broad sheet
| in the hedges. The middle of this web.
which is of very close texture. is sus-
pended like sailors hammock by fine
silken threads fastened to higher
branches. The whole curves upward.
sloping down to long funnelshaped
gallery, nearly horizontal at the en-
trance, but winding obliquely until 1t
becomes almost perpendicular. This
gallery is about Il quarter of an inch
in diameter, is more closely woven
than the sheet part of the web, and
generally descends into hole in the
ground or into soft tuft of grass.
Here is the SPIDERS dwelling-place.
where he may be found resting. with
his legs extended. ready to spring and
catch the hapless insects which get en-
tangled in his sheet net.
The most famous of all spiders is the
tarantula. 1t is an inhabitant of Italy.
Cyprus and the East Indies. Its breast
and abdomen are ash-colored, Us are
also the wings, which have blackish
rings on the inner side. Its eyes are
red. two of them being larger than the
others and placed in the front of its
head. Four others are placed in a
transverse direction near the mouth,
| and the remaining two are close to the
back. 1t generally lives in bare fields
where the land is soft, and it avoids
damp. shady places. preferring q ris-
ing ground.
Its nest is four inches deep. half an
inch wide and curved at the bottom.
and here the insect retreats in unfav-
orable weather, weaving a web at the
door for security against rain and
dampness. In July it casts is skin
and lays eggs to the number of seven
hundred and thirty, but does not live
to rear the young, as it dies in the
early winter.
The bite of this spider was formerly
regarded as fatal. 1t was said that the
part bitten became greatly infamed,
then sickness and faintness came on.
followed by difficulty in breathing and
then by death. The only cure resorted
to was music. A musician was brought
to the patient, and he tried one air
after another until one was found that
would make the sufferer dance. The
violence of the exercise brought ON
profuse Precipitation, which cured the
disorder. All this was long believed.
but its truth was questioned. and m
vcstigation showed that the tarantuia
was harmless, and that the supposed
injuries inflicted by it were made Use
of as an excuse for INDUCING in dance
similar to that of the priestess Of Bac-
chus, which the introduction of Chris
tianity put an end to. Those wIO were
not imposters were merely AFFECTED in
consequence of the bite with shat ner.
vous illness known as St Vitus' dance,
and to this saint many chapels have
been dedicated.
A story is told that gentleman
travelling in Italy several years age
was anxious to see the dance, but il
was too early in the year to find the
spider, and the only thing he could dc
was to prevail upon a young woman,
who had been bitten the year before,
to go through the dance for him just
as she did ut that time. She agreed
to the proposal. and slow, dull music
was played until the right chord was
touched, when she started up with 8
frightful yell. staggering like 8
drunken person. holding a handkcr
chief in each hand and moving cor
rectly to the tune. As the music be
came more lively the more wildly she
jumped about shrieking all the time
The scene was most painful through
out. She was dressed in white ant
adorned with ribbons of variou.
colors, and her hair fell loosely abou
her shoulders, which were covered will
white scarf This is the manner il
which they are all dressed.
There is another interesting specie:
of this insect, the water diving spider
The diving spider is not satisfied. a
frogs are. with the air furnished b!
the water. but Independently carrie.
down supply with him to his subma
rine territory. When the little dive
wishes to inhale fresh supply of air
| 10 ,.;sos IN <Lo ourface with his bod,